1993 Mitsubishi Mighty Max - Daily Gone Wrong

As Told By The Owner

This will be a little different from what everyone is used to reading. This is the story of a Mitsubishi Mighty Max, as told by the owner, Joseph Murphy. I have always been a Mitsubishi guy, ever since 1995, when I first bought a '93 Mighty Max. This was the truck that started it all for me. It went through every phase, from wire wheels, to 15-inch billet wheels, to finally 'bagged and shaved on '17s. It came to the point in 2001 to sell my baby and leave this all behind me, but it wouldn't be for too long.

In the next three years, I had a few cars and even owned a PT Cruiser, which I played around with. That started the bug again. In early 2004, I sold a house, made a little profit, and tried to buy my '93 Mitsubishi back from the guy who bought it from me. Well, things did not work out, and he sold it the day before I was to purchase it. So, I convinced my wife to let me buy a daily driver that I would do minor work to. Meanwhile, my father and I searched around for another Mighty Max. This took a few weeks, and we found a '91 Mighty Max with high mileage and a worn suspension. I knew that was not a problem because I had all of my warranty receipts-free replacements from the '93 Mighty Max. So, we picked it up for $900, and that was the beginning of the daily driver gone wrong.

We first lowered the truck with spindles and springs, while in the back were blocks and air shocks. I still had the KMC Units from the PT Cruiser in the garage, and so I decided to do the 5-lug swap since it was cheaper than buying new wheels. I also updated the front end with the newer grill and 4Runner bumper. This lasted for a few months. I drove it to and from work, cruised with my friends, and then I heard that Rob Rodell was doing suspension work again. This brought back all the memories from my '93 Mighty Max. Rob was the one that 'bagged it back in the day. I called up B&C Off-Road, talked to Rob, and was given a price I could not refuse to get this one 'bagged. When I got it back, it was worth every penny of it. The only bad thing was, the suspension work was too nice for the condition of the truck. This was when I decided to go ahead and shave and paint the truck.

The truck was now losing the title of a daily driver. I contacted my friend, Brian Hill, who had done the interior of my '93 Mighty Max, and we decided to give this truck a little style. We decided to go with the Ostrich because it was a little bit different for a minitruck. By this point, the bug had really bitten me. It was only a few months until a friend of mine called and offered me a set of 20-inch wheels at a great price. So, they went on the truck, but this raised the truck off of the ground, and that was not acceptable. Next, I contacted Rob to see if he wanted to tackle the task of body-dropping the truck with the new wheels. Of course, the guys at B&C were up to the task. I took the truck to Gator Drag, and a week later, it was at B&C. When I dropped off the truck, it was going to get a traditional body-drop, but the guys surprised me with a stock-floor body-drop. Any extra room for a big guy is always good.

I am sure things on the truck will change from time to time. I am already planning on a new paintjob and some more work on the interior. But for now, I am enjoying the truck as my daily driver-if you count driving it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as being daily.

I want to first thank my wife, Janet, for letting me build my dream. Even though she does not like the truck, she still lets me follow my passion. I promise, the next one will be a classic. I want to thank my father, for giving me the first taste of customs with the countless Mopars that we have owned. He showed me it was always better to drive something that nobody had. I also want to thank Rob, Kevin, and Ronnie at B&C Off-Road for all of their hard work. I also want to thank all of the friends I have gained in my many years in this sport. I am sure I will make many more.